AndersonVision Best Films of 2017: #14 – All The Money in the World (SONY)

ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD REVIEWED

“All the Money in the World” succeeds in being intimate. While I didn’t hate “Alien: Covenant” like most people did, Scott is starting to get lost in the giant world that he can’t stop revisiting. All the Money in the World forced Scott to become grounded again. Replacing Kevin Spacey with the far better Christopher Plummer made Scott become a legend again. Initially, I didn’t agree with that choice, but I can’t imagine what Spacey would’ve done in the role now.

Age and the ability to swim in disgust is what will honestly earn Plummer a Best Supporting Actor nomination at the Academy Awards. While Romain Duris provides a slightly better performance as the lead kidnapper, Plummer hits that intangible factor. He dials into the unease that comes with being elderly and wealthy. You believe that he can have people killed, kidnapped or removed from the historical record over a spilled cup of coffee. What he does with Michelle Williams goes beyond all of that.

The ease he shows in toying with this former daughter-in-law and grandson captures the undercurrent of what’s been hitting America in the gut throughout 2017. It’s a historical look back at how people don’t matter to the engines of Capitalism. While looking at the negatives of life through a distant lens has proven difficult in 2017, time will only help this film find a wider audience.

FILM STATS

R

2 hrs and 12 mins

SONY

RELEASE DATE: 12/25/17

Film Score - 96%

96%

The Plot Thus Far

The story of the kidnapping of 16-year-old John Paul Getty III and the desperate attempt by his devoted mother to convince his billionaire grandfather Jean Paul Getty to pay the ransom.